Treat Me Right!
by majinbuttercup
Summary: One  Shot. Various Pairings. Takes place midseason one. Much more adult than my previous fanfic. Drunken rambling. Mostly dialogue. Not a songfic, but inspired by a song.


Title: Treat Me Right!

Author: Majinbuttercup

Rating: I'd say older teen if it was an option, but since it's not, I'll go with M.

Notes: A bit more adult than my previous fic. It aspires to one day possibly be a lime if I decided I wanted to be more specific. This is mostly just drunken rambling, very loosely based on my own experience with drunkenness. Mentions of adult situations. Characters may very well be out of character. Charlie's point of view. The only real spoilers are for the latter part of season one. I think I kept it as close to canon as possible, and don't remember saying anything that contradicts what we already know. (Also, I've never had braces; I just kind of guessed that if the wire was being straightened, the patient would be given gas to dull the senses. The two times I had to get the stuff it took me awhile to come back to my senses completely, and Walter said Betty was always especially susceptible, so I figured it'd take awhile for her to come down.) This is not a songfic, but it is inspired by a song. It's what happens when you wash dishes when you're annoyed, have Ugly Betty on your mind, and listen to Pat Benatar. The lyrics for "Treat Me Right" are at the bottom. Who should you root for? I don't know. Various pairings from the Henry/Betty/Charlie/Farkas quadrangle. I always thought Henry and Charlie seemed a few years older than Betty, so, if they're not, well, then that would make this an AU. (I also never bought the idea that Henry was trying so hard with Charlie and yet nothing happened between them, and this is reflected in the story.) This is my second fic posted to this site, and I am still learning, so here's hoping this time everything posts correctly. Critiques and comments are very much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Ugly Betty related, nor do I own the song "Treat Me Right!" They are the respective properties of whoever owns them, and I am making no money off of this.

"Charlie, how are you?"

"Good Henry. How's New York?"

"You look good. It's all right. Work's hectic, but, it's good to stay busy. It keeps my mind off of … things."

'I should have known what that meant. I didn't even think about it though. All I knew was that he was hot, and we were getting along a lot better than we did towards the end.'

Scenes from the past few weeks keep playing through my mind: Henry's shock that I would arrive in New York ('What are you doing here?' he had the gall to ask me); the look of terror on his face when she and I were sitting having lunch together; the way he was bent over, looking almost like he was going to kiss her while I was lost on the subway; the way they stared at each other at _my_ birthday party; the list goes on and on.

'He agreed to try to make it work, to try to make it better this time. I gave up everything to come to New York. I was terrified!'

"Bartender, another Rum and Coke, please."

"Sure thing."

"I've got it, how much does she owe?" someone asks.

"3.75 buddy."

"Here you go. And a little something extra for your trouble."

I look over, and after blinking a little bit, I vaguely recognize the guy who sits down next to me. "Charlie right?" he asks and I nod. "Gabe Farkas, we me at your birthday party."

"Oh yeah, the orthodontist. How is Miss Perfect?"

"Kind of out of it, I'd imagine."

It takes me a minute to process what Farkas has just said. "Huh?" A nice, intelligent response that makes me seem more drunk than I am.

"She's still a little under the influence of her anesthesia. I actually had to ride with her home in her cab because I didn't really trust her to be alone. She and your accountant were apparently eating muffins and a walnut got stuck in her braces. Her wires got bent out of shape while he was prying it out. Stupid. Rather than just calling the office to figure out what to do, they used tweezers."

"Do you know, I actually showed up at Henry's office today to ask him to lunch? He and Betty were sitting there, smiling and laughing, and eating muffins by the time I got there. Of course, it was totally innocent…"

"Of course…"

"They were just talking, just a friendly lunch between friends. Like they actually expect me to believe that! If it was nothing more than that she wouldn't have shot up from where she was sitting on the edge of his desk, stammering apologies, and looking like she was ready to bolt for the elevator. If there was nothing there, he wouldn't have been blushing and trying to explain himself. No, there's something there between them. I smiled, told Betty it was okay and that I had to get going, grabbed a muffin, and left. I wasn't even out of the office before I heard her laughing again at something he said. The sad thing is I was actually hungry today. Half the time I show up, it's just to see what's going on."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. 'I don't have any feelings for Henry, Dr. Farkas. I used to, but that's over now. Henry's got a girlfriend.' The night we went to your party, not only did I get to see them making moon eyes at each other, I heard about Henry just about every other sentence. 'Is this Henry?' 'No he's the accountant, this is the orthodontist. I've seen the accountant. He's much hotter.' Big boost to a guy's ego. But, I know Betty wasn't trying to hurt me. She was trying to protect herself."

"Protect herself?"

"From watching the man she loved with another woman."

"You sure do know a lot about her."

"Well, Betty's one of my best patients. Always keeps her appointments, and always comes in with a smile."

"Are you in love with her?"

"Well, I don't know about in love, but I would say that I could easily fall for her."

"Bartender, another! I don't get it, what's so great about Betty? She had a boyfriend when I first showed up, I know Henry is at least attracted to her, and you too?"

"Well, I can't say anything for Walter or Henry, but I know I don't really meet a lot of women. I'm usually too busy at work – thank you, and bartender, can I get a bottle of Coors, please – and almost all of my patients are twelve. Other than Betty, I have three other patients who are adults, one is my niece, one is an assistant of mine, and one is a man. What do you expect? She's smart, and pretty, and funny. And I'm lonely."

"I hate to say it, but I'm sure Henry loves her. He's trying so hard with me, and I know he would never cheat on me, but I can see it in his eyes. They haven't lit up for me like that in three years."

"Why'd you go back to him? It seems long enough that anyone would have moved on."

"Well, Dr. Farkas-."

"Gabe."

"All right, Gabe. I was lonely. I was 25 years old, my friends were all getting married, having kids, and I was still living in my old neighborhood, in a tiny apartment, and going nowhere. I had forgotten how cute Henry was, until we ran into each other right after Christmas. He came back to see his mom for the holiday, and we hit it off. So, after he left, I decided to try again, I packed up a bag, and showed up at his job, no warning at all. I had cancelled the lease on my apartment and sent most of my stuff to my parents' house. He agreed to get back together."

"But he tries?"

"Oh yeah, he tries. For one thing, the sex is still amazing. Do you know he was the first guy to ever give me an orgasm? All the others just finished themselves off, and left me hanging. I didn't really know any better until the first time we slept together. Bartender, another! … Thank you… You may not guess this, but Henry's favorite color is orange." Farkas' eyelids shoot up, "Yeah, it was one of the things that drew him to me, was my hair. The first time we made love was in the desert, at sunset. It was beautiful, and I'll never forget it. Of course, I wasn't fond of the places I got sand, but that's another story. He actually picked New York instead of Nevada because he wanted to see the leaves change colors on the trees. If he's not working, he's almost always got on an orange sweater or something close to it. Peach is the closest color I can wear that doesn't horribly clash with my hair. Bartender, another! Anyway, all I have to do is stand on our balcony in a peach satin nightgown at sunset, and he's mine! He doesn't even think about her, for at least an hour. He showed me a picture he took once, and I must say, the sunlight does make me look beautiful. How could he resist? Or give him a couple of drinks, maybe three. At that point he's just tipsy enough to forget her. Six or seven and he's all, 'Betty, why don't you love me? I miss you Betty!' It's so pathetic. The second time it happened I decided I'd stop him before he got to that point every night. What's best is when he wakes up from one of his 'Adventure Dreams.' He has these dreams that he's Indiana Jones, or on an African Safari, or skydiving, or whatever. I don't even have to do anything more than be in bed and he'll make himself late to work. It's great. But, even if we don't drink, he buys my favorite flowers, and pays the rent on my kiosk if I ask him to, which is actually how I'm paying for my drinks tonight; by the way, at least, it was until you came along. He does everything he can to try to make me happy. Also? He bought the couch."

"The couch?"

"This hideous purple thing. It's not even comfortable, let alone pretty. Who the hell wants a purple couch? I picked out the most hideous couch I could tolerate, and told him that's the one I wanted. Made up some garbage about it being empowering or something. He agreed. That's how I know nothing has happened between him and Betty, yet. He's had that couch since high school. Why would he let someone who wasn't his girlfriend get rid of his couch, the first major purchase he ever made, before he even bought a car, to buy a couch he hated? That's how I know he's trying. I just don't know if that's enough, though. Bartender, another!"

"I think maybe you should have a regular Coke this time."

"Eh, you're probably right. Anyway, I know he thinks about her. I've heard him say her name in his sleep. Not that that really means much, I mean a couple of days ago I dreamed I was fifteen again and making out with my first serious boyfriend, and I've spoken to him maybe three times in ten years. Last week I dreamed I was making out with Betty, and things were moving along pretty well until her braces caused some problems and woke me up. And you will never get me drunk enough to tell you what those were. I'm not even attracted to women. So, I don't care so much about the dreams, their mainly just annoying. Tonight however, I came home from the gym, thinking of nothing more than taking a shower. Henry was already taking one, no big deal, I figure, 'I'll just join him.' Bad idea. He didn't hear me, but I heard him, masturbating. Again, no big deal until I hear him moan, 'Betty.' I put on some clothes, grabbed my purse, and have been here ever since. So, Dr. Farkas, orthodontist extraordinaire, just how pathetic am I?"

"I don't think you're pathetic. I think Henry is a lucky man to have two such beautiful, wonderful women vying for his attention. Listen, you clearly need to get out of here, and I'm kind of hungry. Would you care to join me for some dinner? I just need to stop by the office real quick."

"I'd like that."

"…That's all there is to it, Betty. Good luck. I'll see you tomorrow." Henry hangs up the phone, smiling. "Charlie? You're home kind of late.

"Yeah, I went out for a few drinks and had dinner with a friend of mine. Actually, let me rephrase that. I had a lot of drinks, threw up at the restaurant and almost fell asleep in my cheeseburger. I slept it off on my friend's couch. I woke up, threw up again, and now I'm fine, just a tiny headache. What'd Betty want?"

"Oh, she's just working on last month's expense report, and seeing as I'm the only accountant she knows, she called me when she had a question." He yawned and stretched. "Are you coming to bed? There's spaghetti and peas in the 'fridge if you're still hungry. There's some aspirin in the cupboard over the stove if you need it."

"Maybe a breadstick or two. I'll be in, in a few minutes, I just want to take a shower first. Before I forget, my friend and I are going out again tomorrow night since you'll be working late."

"Okay, good night. Hey, Charlie; it's good you're making friends. I know how lonely it can be to move across the country when you don't know many people." He comes over and gives me a small peck on the cheek before heading towards the bedroom.

"I love you!"

"I love you too," he answers in a monotone without even turning around. With a tear sliding down my cheek I get a towel from the laundry basket on the couch and head into the bathroom.

_You want me to leave, you want me to stay _

_You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away _

_You wanna be lovers, and you wanna be friends _

_I'm losing my patience, you're nearing the end _

_One of these days your gonna reach out and find _

_The one that you count on has left you behind_

_Don't want to be no martyr, with no one, no say _

_Oh my, my baby, before it's too late_

Do you think I'm a fool, well you better think twice  
I've had enough baby, its time you realized  
That you can't have it both ways, it's no way to live  
You've done all the takin', it's your turn to give

One of these days you're gonna reach out and find  
The one that you count on has left you behind  
Don't want to be no martyr, with no one, no say  
Oh my, my baby, before it's too late

Treat me right  
Treat me right  
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light  
Ooh, ooh, treat me right

You want me to leave, you want me to stay  
You ask me to come back, you're turnin' love away  
You wanna be lovers, and you wanna be friends  
I'm losing my patience, you're nearing the end

Treat me right  
Treat me right  
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light  
Ooh, ooh, treat me right

_-------------------Owari---------------------_


End file.
